Great symbolic calculator for everything...once you learn to use it properly

I got this calculator midway through high school to replace a TI-84 Plus. When I first got the calculator, the very steep learning curve immediately became apparent. For those who are used to the style of the TI-83/84, using the TI-89 will be very difficult in the beginning. When you first turn on the calculator, you come to the icon desktop (which can be turned off), so you must press "HOME" to actually get to a screen where you can perform calculations or run programs. Once you are at the home screen, basic calculations can be performed quite easily, but more advanced calculations (such as derivatives and integrals) require you to select from a menu on the top of the screen. This system was daunting at first, but it soon began to make sense and I now realize that it much preferable to the menu system on the TI-83/84, since most of the operations are organized into a bar on the top of the display. The menu bar also allows customization, so you can make custom menus for different classes (this can really come in handy on the SAT, where you may need quick access to certain functions or programs).

Within the top menu-bar, you have access to quite a lot of functionality, ranging from equation simplification/expansion to derivatives/integrals to infinite summations. This is where the TI-89 really begins to shine over its lesser relatives from TI. The range of functions is simply AMAZING...and the symbolic OS in this calculator means it can do operations without the need for numerical values (unlike the TI-83). For example, if you enter d(x^2,x) on a TI-89, you will get 2x as the derivative. This functionality is a great help to those calculus problems that just seem so difficult to solve sometimes. No other TI calculator (except the discontinued TI-92, 92+, and Voyage 200) offer the symbolic functionality present on the TI-89 and 89 Titanium. In addition, both of these calculators are acceptable to use on the SAT and AP tests, where they can prove to be of GREAT assistance once you learn to use them...I definitely speak from experience when I mention the AP and SAT, as my TI-89 helped me get a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam and an 800 on the SAT 2 Math IIC test . Of course, a calculator won't get you a perfect score if you don't study and practice...but it will definitely be helpful if you learn to use it properly.

Another benefit of the TI-89 is the high level of expansion offered by this calculator. With its USB port for connecting to a computer, built-in assembly program support , and support for a wide range of Apps, this calculator's functionality is certainly not limited to the typical math classroom. For example, an e-book reader can be installed to let the user read text documents, and a world atlas can be installed to help with geography. In addition, there are specific programs created for chemistry, physics, and other science classes that really make this calculator a multifunctional device. Currently, I have a periodic table installed on mine for easy access during labs in chemistry class. Besides the classroom-related programs offered by TI and third parties (ticalc.org) the assembly program support built into this calculator gives the user access to a wide variety of games, from the simple Tetris and Space Invaders to complex Game Boy emulators that actually allow the playing of games like Zelda on the TI-89! Granted, I don't encourage students to waste their class time by playing games, but the functionality is there and should still be mentioned.

I hope this review has given you a bit of a look into what the TI-89 Titanium offers. Though it seems like a very daunting device to operate at first, a user should be able to grasp the basics within the first week or so...after that, using this calculator really becomes second nature. Though I initially did not realize how powerful this device was, I've really come to realize its usefulness in almost every class. If you take the time to learn how to use it properly, this is not an investment you will regret in the future.